genetics of marmots Researchers look at - Great...trapping marmots. He ll do the same thing this...
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Great Falls Tribune 07/02/2015 Page : O01 Copyright (c)2015 Great Falls Tribune 07/02/2015 July 2, 2015 5:45 pm / Powered by TECNAVIA Copy Reduced to %d%% from original to fit letter page Ask anyone who has hiked in Glacier National Park if they’ve seen a marmot and the answer is probably yes. Hoary marmots are a common sight in Glacier and in many of Montana’s mountain ranges, but relatively little is known about the animals. “They’re familiar to everyone, but they haven’t been studied that much,” said Dr. Steven Kalinowski, professor of ecology at Montana State University. A research team at MSU, in partnership with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, is working to change that. FWP biologist John Vore started studying marmots in the 1990s. “I’ve always had an interest in marmots,” said Vore, who now works as game management bu- reau chief for FWP. “I like them because of where they live. ... They’re just really neat little ani- mals.” In Montana, hoary marmots are typically found above 6,500 feet. “They’re alpine obligates, meaning they only live up in the alpine,” he said. The places hoary marmots live are hard to access. They live high in the mountains where snow covers the ground most of the year. That’s likely part of why few studies have been done on the animals. COURTESY PHOTO Kaitlin MacDonald and Jonathan Hashisaki, technicians with Montana State University’s marmot research project, carry marmot traps on their packs while hiking. NPS PHOTO A hoary marmot in Glacier National Park. Researchers look at genetics of marmots By Erin Madison [email protected] See MARMOTS, 4O COURTESY PHOTO Field technician Adam Starecheski sets and camouflages a marmot trap in the Mission Mountains. Starecheski is part of a research team studying marmot populations in Montana. OUTDOORS Thursday, July 2, 2015 GREAT FALLS TRIBUNE WWW.GREATFALLSTRIBUNE.COM For tips or corrections: Contact Features Editor Matt Ochsner, 406-791-6532 or 800-438-6600, or email [email protected]. Classified questions: Call 791-1420. O S E C T I O N Great Falls dentist Dr. Eugene Tynes knows that many people find Spartan races to be intimidating, but he would encourage anyone to give them a try. “I think a lot of people are afraid of it, and they don’t need to be,” Tynes said. Tynes certainly isn’t afraid of doing a Spartan race. In fact, he already did three in 2015, earning a Spartan Trifecta medal. Spartan races challenge athletes to run through a course, conquering obsta- cles and navigating through mud pits along the way. The races come in three dis- tances — the Sprint, the Super and the Beast, which is about 13 miles long with 30 obstacles. Doing all three distances in a calen- dar year is called a Spartan Trifecta. Tynes didn’t waste any- time earning his trifecta. He did the Spartan Sprint in February, the Super in April and the Beast in May. “We wanted to see how quickly we could get it done,” he said Tynes did his first Spar- tan race three years ago. “The only one they of- fered in Montana was the Sprint,” he said. He was instantly hooked. Tynes has always en- joyed a challenge. He ran across the Bob Marshall Wilderness once. “For me, I love it,” he said of Spartan races. “I’m Great Falls man completes the Spartan Trifecta in 5 months By Erin Madison [email protected] COURTESY PHOTO Great Falls dentist Eugene Tynes, right, completed a Spartan Trifecta with his friend Brett Weber, left. A Spartan Trifecta is doing all three Spartan distances in a calendar year. See TRIFECTA, 2O There is something about songbirds this time of year that can catch the ear, eye and heart of even the most preoccupied person. It doesn’t matter where: mountain tops, middle of the prairie, downtown, uptown. It doesn’t matter what you call them: tweety birds, little brown jobs, neotrop- ical migrants. Songbirds are nesting, raising young and singing their blessed little hearts out. Sure a dedicated birder with keen hearing can tell the difference between the songs of a savannah sparrow and vesper sparrow. Or with a quick glance through bin- oculars identify a chestnut collared longspur atop a bit of sagebrush at 100 yards. Good for those bird watchers who rise at dawn and drive lonely country roads to look, listen and count. For the rest of us, some- times appreciation is just the ability to be in the mo- ment. Stop. Look around. Listen. In reality, listening for the musical notes of a song- bird in town is difficult and not just because of our man- made sounds. English house sparrows and European starlings, neither of which is native, can drown out and drive out many native song- birds. And not many of us would list the songs of house sparrows as melodic; too much monotonous chirping. Even so, in Montana’s largest cities there are still mourning doves cooing and yellow warblers singing out their “sweet, sweet, sum- mer’s sweet.” Yes, technically mourn- ing doves are not songbirds. But they are native and produce a wonderful cooing, or mourning sound, that’s often associated with cool summer mornings. The best bet is head to the outskirts of town, wheth- er to the forest, prairie or along a river. Take a pair of binoculars, a good bird book, and maybe a bottle of mos- quito repellant. Then, do as your mother probably asked of you, sit down and be quiet. Within a few minutes the air will fill with a symphony of shrill notes, pulsing trills and jingling, metallic melo- dies. Shortly thereafter, a bit of bright color will likely glance nearby. The best time of day is dawn, but even midmorning can work. Mostly what you will look for and listen to are the males. They are flashy as they try to attract females to them, and they sing with the same purpose in mind. Just a few ounces of feathers and bones, yet songbirds could give lessons to opera singers. And with- out meaning to, they make our day better. They pay us no mind, but their voices give us dividends. Don’t put off a chance to brighten your day. Some of those wonderful little bits of feathers will be heading south in a couple of months. Make now the moment. Carpe diem. Bruce Auchly is the information officer for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 4 in Great Falls. Stop and appreciate songbirds MONTANA TAILS AND TRAILS Bruce Auchly FWP PHOTO Singing “sweet, sweet, summer’s sweet,” yellow warblers are a common summer visitor to Montana. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks removed two young bighorn rams found commingling with domes- tic sheep last week. The bighorns were 28 miles south of Malta, well away from their normal habitat. The meat from the sheep was donated to local families, and the horns will be used for educational purposes. The two rams were found on private land along Beaver Creek in southern Phillips County. They were 22 miles from established populations in hunting district 622 in the Missouri River Breaks, and 25 miles from populations in the Little Rockies in hunting district 620. Neighbors alerted FWP about the rams after observing them in close proximity to do- mestic sheep, including within an enclosed pen. With landowner permis- sion to access the property, FWP’s Malta area Wildlife Biologist Scott Thompson removed the bighorns on June 24. “Bighorn sheep are managed pretty intensive- ly,” said Thompson. “To keep a healthy population of bighorn sheep, more FWP removes 2 bighorn sheep in Malta area COURTESY FILE PHOTO Bighorn sheep near Wolf Creek. See SHEEP, 2O By Tribune Staff
Transcript of genetics of marmots Researchers look at - Great...trapping marmots. He ll do the same thing this...
Great Falls Tribune 07/02/2015 Page : O01
Copyright (c)2015 Great Falls Tribune 07/02/2015 July 2, 2015 5:45 pm / Powered by TECNAVIA
Copy Reduced to %d%% from original to fit letter page
Ask anyone who has hiked in Glacier NationalPark if they’ve seen a marmot and the answer isprobably yes.
Hoary marmots are a common sight in Glacierand in many of Montana’s mountain ranges, butrelatively little is known about the animals.
“They’re familiar to everyone, but theyhaven’t been studied that much,” said Dr. StevenKalinowski, professor of ecology at MontanaState University.
A research team at MSU, in partnership withMontana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, is working tochange that.
FWP biologist John Vore started studyingmarmots in the 1990s.
“I’ve always had an interest in marmots,” saidVore, who now works as game management bu-reau chief for FWP. “I like them because of wherethey live. ... They’re just really neat little ani-mals.”
In Montana, hoary marmots are typicallyfound above 6,500 feet.
“They’re alpine obligates, meaning they onlylive up in the alpine,” he said.
The places hoary marmots live are hard toaccess. They live high in the mountains wheresnow covers the ground most of the year. That’slikely part of why few studies have been done onthe animals.
COURTESY PHOTO
Kaitlin MacDonald and Jonathan Hashisaki, technicians with Montana State University’smarmot research project, carry marmot traps on their packs while hiking.
NPS PHOTO
A hoary marmot in Glacier National Park.
Researchers look atgenetics of marmots
By Erin [email protected]
See MARMOTS, 4O
COURTESY PHOTO
Field technician Adam Starecheski sets and camouflages a marmot trap in the Mission Mountains. Starecheski is part of a research team studying marmotpopulations in Montana.
OUTDOORSThursday, July 2, 2015
GREAT FALLS TRIBUNE WWW.GREATFALLSTRIBUNE.COM
For tips or corrections: Contact Features Editor Matt Ochsner, 406-791-6532 or 800-438-6600, or [email protected] questions: Call 791-1420.
O
S
EC T I O
N
Great Falls dentist Dr.Eugene Tynes knows thatmany people find Spartanraces to be intimidating,but he would encourageanyone to give them a try.
“I think a lot of peopleare afraid of it, and theydon’t need to be,” Tynessaid.
Tynes certainly isn’tafraid of doing a Spartanrace. In fact, he already didthree in 2015, earning aSpartan Trifecta medal.
Spartan races challengeathletes to run through acourse, conquering obsta-cles and navigating throughmud pits along the way. Theraces come in three dis-tances — the Sprint, theSuper and the Beast, whichis about 13 miles long with30 obstacles. Doing allthree distances in a calen-dar year is called a SpartanTrifecta.
Tynes didn’t waste any-time earning his trifecta.He did the Spartan Sprint inFebruary, the Super inApril and the Beast in May.
“We wanted to see howquickly we could get itdone,” he said
Tynes did his first Spar-tan race three years ago.
“The only one they of-
fered in Montana was theSprint,” he said.
He was instantly hooked.Tynes has always en-
joyed a challenge. He ranacross the Bob MarshallWilderness once.
“For me, I love it,” hesaid of Spartan races. “I’m
Great Falls man completes theSpartan Trifecta in 5 months
By Erin [email protected]
COURTESY PHOTO
Great Falls dentist Eugene Tynes, right, completed a Spartan Trifectawith his friend Brett Weber, left. A Spartan Trifecta is doing all threeSpartan distances in a calendar year.
See TRIFECTA, 2O
There is something aboutsongbirds this time of yearthat can catch the ear, eyeand heart of even the mostpreoccupied person.
It doesn’tmatter where:mountaintops, middleof the prairie,downtown,uptown.
It doesn’tmatter whatyou call them:tweety birds,little brownjobs, neotrop-ical migrants.
Songbirdsare nesting,
raising young and singingtheir blessed little heartsout.
Sure a dedicated birderwith keen hearing can tellthe difference between thesongs of a savannah sparrowand vesper sparrow. Or witha quick glance through bin-oculars identify a chestnutcollared longspur atop a bitof sagebrush at 100 yards.
Good for those birdwatchers who rise at dawnand drive lonely countryroads to look, listen andcount.
For the rest of us, some-times appreciation is justthe ability to be in the mo-ment. Stop. Look around.Listen.
In reality, listening forthe musical notes of a song-bird in town is difficult andnot just because of our man-made sounds. English housesparrows and Europeanstarlings, neither of which isnative, can drown out anddrive out many native song-birds. And not many of uswould list the songs of housesparrows as melodic; toomuch monotonous chirping.
Even so, in Montana’slargest cities there are stillmourning doves cooing andyellow warblers singing outtheir “sweet, sweet, sum-mer’s sweet.”
Yes, technically mourn-ing doves are not songbirds.But they are native andproduce a wonderful cooing,or mourning sound, that’soften associated with coolsummer mornings.
The best bet is head tothe outskirts of town, wheth-er to the forest, prairie oralong a river. Take a pair ofbinoculars, a good bird book,and maybe a bottle of mos-quito repellant.
Then, do as your motherprobably asked of you, sitdown and be quiet.
Within a few minutes theair will fill with a symphonyof shrill notes, pulsing trillsand jingling, metallic melo-dies. Shortly thereafter, a bitof bright color will likelyglance nearby.
The best time of day isdawn, but even midmorningcan work. Mostly what youwill look for and listen to arethe males. They are flashyas they try to attractfemales to them, and theysing with the same purposein mind.
Just a few ounces offeathers and bones, yetsongbirds could give lessonsto opera singers. And with-out meaning to, they makeour day better. They pay usno mind, but their voicesgive us dividends.
Don’t put off a chance tobrighten your day. Some ofthose wonderful little bits offeathers will be headingsouth in a couple of months.
Make now the moment.Carpe diem.
Bruce Auchly is the informationofficer for Montana Fish,Wildlife and Parks Region 4 inGreat Falls.
Stop andappreciatesongbirds
MONTANATAILS ANDTRAILSBruceAuchly
FWP PHOTO
Singing “sweet, sweet, summer’ssweet,” yellow warblers are acommon summer visitor toMontana.
Montana Fish, Wildlifeand Parks removed twoyoung bighorn rams foundcommingling with domes-tic sheep last week.
The bighorns were 28miles south of Malta, wellaway from their normalhabitat.
The meat from thesheep was donated to localfamilies, and the horns willbe used for educationalpurposes.
The two rams werefound on private land alongBeaver Creek in southernPhillips County. They were22 miles from establishedpopulations in huntingdistrict 622 in the MissouriRiver Breaks, and 25 miles
from populations in theLittle Rockies in huntingdistrict 620. Neighborsalerted FWP about therams after observing themin close proximity to do-mestic sheep, includingwithin an enclosed pen.
With landowner permis-sion to access the property,FWP’s Malta area WildlifeBiologist Scott Thompsonremoved the bighorns onJune 24.
“Bighorn sheep aremanaged pretty intensive-ly,” said Thompson. “Tokeep a healthy populationof bighorn sheep, more
FWPremoves 2 bighornsheep inMalta area
COURTESY FILE PHOTO
Bighorn sheep near Wolf Creek.
See SHEEP, 2O
By Tribune Staff
Great Falls Tribune 07/02/2015 Page : O04
Copyright (c)2015 Great Falls Tribune 07/02/2015 July 2, 2015 5:47 pm / Powered by TECNAVIA
Copy Reduced to %d%% from original to fit letter page
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~“They’re a species that
we don’t know a lot about asfar as their distribution ornumbers on the landscape,”Vore added.
While working in the fieldas an FWP biologist, Vorebegan to document where hesaw hoary marmots.
“I started paying atten-tion and logging where Ifound marmot colonies,” hesaid.
A few years ago, MSUjoined his efforts.
One of the big questionsMSU researchers aim toanswer is how interconnect-ed are the marmot coloniesfound throughout Montana’smountain ranges?
Researchers are lookingat the high alpine areaswhere marmots live as is-lands in the sky, explainedDr. Andrea Litt, professor ofecology at MSU.
“Can they move fromisland to island?” she asked.
If they can’t and marmotcolonies are isolated, are theanimals interbreeding?
Marmots are potentially aspecies of concern becauselittle is known about theirrange or their populationnumbers, said Ben Turnock,an MSU master’s studentwho is working on the mar-mot research project.
“We know that in Glacierthey’re a permanent resi-dent,” he said.
However, in other areasare they also permanent ordo colonies ever disappear?
Turnock also wants toknow how far marmots canand do travel. Can the Gla-cier population cross High-way 2? Is the North ForkFlathead River a physicalboundary for them?
“Can a marmot swimacross something like that?”he asked.
To answer those ques-tions, Turnock, along withthree field technicians,spent last summer travelingto high mountain areas andtrapping marmots. He’ll dothe same thing this summer.
The crew uses live trapsto capture the animals. Oncethe marmots are in thetraps, they use a capture bagto securely hold the animalwhile they take about 1 milli-meter of tissue from themarmots’ ear.
“We’re collecting smalltissue samples,” Turnocksaid.
Those tissue samples willbe used for DNA testing,which will help determinehow interconnected mar-mots are throughout Mon-tana.
While trapping marmots,the crew also works to gaina better understanding ofthe habitat marmots prefer.
Marmots seem to live inlarge boulder fields withlarge boulders. It seems thathaving meadows nearby isalso important.
“We think they’re doing alot of their foraging in thoseareas,” Turnock said.
The crew is also trying todetermine what kind ofaccess to water marmots
need. In many alpine areas,streams don’t flow year-round.
The marmots that canoften be seen on Great Falls’golf courses or along theMissouri are yellow belliedmarmots.
“Hoary marmots are adifferent beast than theyellow bellied marmots,”Vore said.
Hoary marmots can befound all the way from Alas-ka to Montana. Montana isthe southern edge of theirrange. Typically, they’re notseen south of the Beaver-head Mountains, and usuallyaren’t found east of the Con-tinental Divide.
“There are a few on theeast side of the Divide, butthe don’t get very far on theeast side of the Divide,”Vore said.
Researching marmots is
challenging work.“It’s hard to get to some
of these places,” Litt said.Last summer, Turnock
and his crew spent 53 daysin the backcountry.
“Over those 53 days, wehiked 215 miles,” he said.
They also climbed 89,000feet of elevation.
Trapping marmotsproved more challengingthat Turnock expected.
“It was harder than wehad anticipated,” he said.
In the first month of trap-ping marmots, they onlycaptured three animals. Inthe last month, they got 10marmots.
“We got a lot better,”Turnock said.
In all, the researchershave collected 20 tissuesamples from 20 differentmarmots in four differentmountain ranges. They’ll
continue their efforts thissummer and begin DNAsequencing this fall.
By the end of the project,researchers hope to havetissue samples from mar-mots in Glacier, the White-fish Range, and the Mission,Swan, Anaconda-Pintler andBitterroot mountains.
One of the goals of theresearch is also to develop aprotocol to use in order tomonitor marmots long term.
As a Ph.D. candidate,Kalinowski worked on asimilar project working tostudy bighorn sheep. It usedto be thought that separatemountain ranges had isolat-ed populations of bighornsheep and that the animalsdidn’t travel between herds.
DNA proved that to bewrong.
“It really changed howpeople looked at bighorns,”Kalinowski said.
The marmot research hasthe potential to be equallyimpactful.
Erin Madison is the outdoorswriter at the Great FallsTribune. She can be reached at406-791-1466 or [email protected]. Followher on Twitter@GFTrib_EMadison.
MarmotsContinued from 1O
COURTESY PHOTO
Marmot researchers set up the first trap line of the season early in June 2014 on Werner Peak in theWhitefish Range. Hoary marmots live in high alpine habitats that are covered by snow most of the year.
COURTESY PHOTO
A hoary marmot is held in a capture bag. Researchers take a smallpiece of the animal’s ear as a DNA sample.
